


you were a mythical thing (like a trophy or a champion ring)

by darlingargents



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crushes, Divorce, Gen, M/M, Parenthood, Past Amanda LaRusso/Daniel LaRusso - Freeform, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingargents/pseuds/darlingargents
Summary: Daniel LaRusso is a divorced car salesman trying to make it work. Johnny Lawrence is the one who shows up to fix his house.(Pre-canon AU.)
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Samantha LaRusso & Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 29
Kudos: 181
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	you were a mythical thing (like a trophy or a champion ring)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dashi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dashi/gifts).



> Title from willow by Taylor Swift :)

Daniel had always assumed, if he did get divorced, that it would be dramatic. High-stakes, deeply emotional, intense. There were pictures in his head of shoes being thrown, screaming fights, a bat through a car window.

His divorce is nothing like that. It’s looking across the kitchen table, as Anthony babbles in his high chair and flings cereal on the floor, and realizing that he would honestly rather be doing this alone. It’s sitting on opposite ends of the couch when they watch TV and sleeping with their backs to each other in the bed that they haven’t used for anything but sleeping since Amanda’s second trimester with Anthony, two years ago.

It’s a conversation filled with tears and holding hands and even a kiss, and it’s devastating, but when he walks away from it, his heart is lighter than it’s been in months.

It only takes a couple of months, after that, to get everything in order. Papers together, financials split, custody split. Fifty-fifty, because Daniel’s not going to be an absent father, no matter what.

Amanda gets a nice three-bedroom apartment and a new job with a pay raise, and Daniel gets another house, a bit smaller than their old one, but with enough room for him and the kids to grow. And that’s that.

It helps to talk to Mr. Miyagi about it. He doesn’t have much practical advice, never having been in a long marriage or through a divorce, but he’s a comforting presence, and he always likes to help out with Sam and Anthony. Anthony is still a toddler, but Sam is seven now, and she likes it when Mr. Miyagi shows her the basics of karate.

So, everything is actually going pretty well, surprisingly. Daniel LaRusso’s post-divorce life: not so bad.

And then Sam, overexcited from joining a baseball team, accidentally swings her new bat into the wall of the living room, and Daniel decides to call someone to fix it instead of doing it himself.

When he opens his front door half an hour later, he’s face to face with Johnny Lawrence.

It’s immediately clear that Johnny didn’t expect this, either; he winces and glances over his shoulder like he’s weighing the consequences of running. Daniel doesn’t say anything, because honestly, the only thing he can think to say is something probably a bit mean, like “how’s your karate lately?”

Clearly, Johnny Lawrence is no longer the rich kid who chased him home on a motorcycle, if he’s here in ratty jeans and a hoodie to fix a hole in Daniel’s wall.

“Hi,” Daniel says after far too long. “Johnny Lawrence? It’s…wow, it’s been a long time.”

“Yeah. Twenty years, right?”

“Something like that.” Johnny shifts on his heels, and Daniel remembers why he’s actually there. “Oh, right, sorry. Uh, it’s this way.”

He shows Johnny the hole in the wall and he gets to work with some plaster or… whatever. Daniel doesn’t know much about this stuff. He’s watching Johnny mix up some supplies for probably too long, because Johnny says, “See anything you like?” under his breath after maybe a minute or two.

Daniel winces. He should probably just leave Johnny to do his job. “Sorry,” he says, and tries to leave, but before he can, Sam comes in and flops down on the couch.

“Who’s this?” she asks after a moment, when she realizes they’re not alone. Daniel winces again.

“This is Johnny, he’s here to fix the hole. It’s coming out of your allowance, by the way.”

Johnny snorts, and mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “Fascist.”

“Hey!” Daniel says, because he didn’t quite hear it, but still.

“I’m Johnny,” Johnny says, as if Daniel didn’t say anything at all. “Your dad cheated me out of a trophy a while ago.”

“That was a legal kick,” Daniel says.

“I’m Sam,” she says with a smile. “Did you do karate?”

“Yeah, and I was the best at it, too, until your dad showed up.”

“He’s mean,” Sam says very seriously, with an authoritative nod.

“Hey!” Daniel says, again, because he can’t believe Johnny is somehow charming his kid. Good with kids is not something he’s ever considered would apply to Johnny Lawrence. “He also put an elbow in the back of my knee, which is definitely illegal,” Daniel adds, feeling like he has to cut this off before it goes too far.

Sam squints suspiciously at Daniel, and he can’t believe it. His own daughter, entirely won over. “Did he deserve it?”

Daniel is expecting a resounding yes for him to shut down, but Johnny just looks thoughtful for a minute. He’s gotten up and he’s filling the wall hole while he thinks, which, well, at least he’s earning his pay. “Nah, we were both pretty dumb. I shouldn’t have done it, just like he shouldn’t have kicked me in the face.”

Sam giggles. “You kicked him in the face!”

“I can do it again, too,” Johnny says conspiratorially, like Daniel isn’t standing right there.

“Well, we can see who’s still the best at this after you finish,” Daniel says, firmly. “Sam, don’t you have some homework?”

“Finished.” She stretches out on the couch, watching Johnny. “I’m learning karate, too. Could you teach me?”

Daniel chokes on his own spit. First charming his daughter, next stealing her as a student — what the hell is Johnny Lawrence going to do next, rob him? Daniel expects to have to shut it down himself, again, but Johnny just shakes his head.

“Nah, I think you have a great teacher here,” he says.

“Thank you,” Daniel says.

“Hey, I definitely meant Mr. Miyagi, pal.” Johnny pauses. “He’s still up and kicking, right?”

“Yeah, he is.” Daniel is honestly surprised Johnny even remembers his name, let alone the right pronunciation, this many years later. “Literally, I guess.”

Johnny snorts, and it’s not a particularly graceful laugh, but Daniel’s always been a sucker for laughter. Something swoops low in his stomach. Oh. Oh, no.

“I can accept the compliment for him, though,” Daniel adds to distract from that  _ feeling _ . It’s a feeling he doesn’t need and can’t deal with, now in general and especially not with his old rival.

“Thanks.” Johnny turns his focus back to the wall and Sam leans on the arm of the couch, watching him.

“Do you have any kids?” she asks after a moment, and Daniel is totally not invested in the answer, because it’s not like he’s going to see Johnny again after today. And it’s not like a guy like Johnny probably has kids, anyway—

“Yeah, I have a son. Robby. He’s — how old are you?”

“Seven,” Sam says, proud.

“He’s your age. Smart little bugger.” Johnny pauses. The wall hole seems to be filled up, and he starts putting away the supplies, wiping his hands clean. “His mom takes care of him most of the time, though.”

“Why?” Sam asks, and Daniel winces.

“Sam, come on, let him do his job,” Daniel says, but Johnny just looks at her, not offended in the slightest.

“She doesn’t work as much, so it’s just easier. I miss him, though.”

“You should go say hi today,” Sam says, like she knows anything about this situation. “I always miss Mommy when I’m here and Daddy when I’m with her. I’m sure he misses you.”

“Yeah,” Johnny says, and rubs his hand across his chin, getting white dust in his beard. Daniel hasn’t thought much about his feelings regarding beards, but — wow. His beard really is nice. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll swing by after work.”

Daniel has no idea how to react to…any of this.

Sam seems to lose interest after that, as Johnny sands down the wall and gets out the paint to cover up the hole. Fifteen minutes and the paint is drying, and Daniel is following him back to the front door, getting cash out of his wallet.

“Sorry about Sam,” he says to break the silence as he counts out the money, plus a tip. Probably too big, but he doesn’t care.

“It’s okay. I…I like kids.” He doesn’t quite sound convinced, and Daniel tries not to laugh.

“You don’t actually have to listen, you know,” he says, and he’s not sure why, because it’s not like Sam was giving him bad advice.

“No, she’s right.” Johnny rubs his beard again, and it’s distracting. Daniel looks away. “I’ve done a lot of shitty stuff in my life, fucked a lot of stuff up, but I don’t want my son to be one of them, you know?”

“Yeah. Well, my marriage didn’t work out, so I get what you mean.”

“You and Ali?”

He sounds so confident about it that it startles a real laugh out of Daniel. “No, man, we broke up after a few months. It was good, but it was high school, you know?”

“Oh. Right. I guess so.” Johnny takes the money he’s been holding out for probably thirty seconds by now, and nods at him. “Uh. See you around, LaRusso?”

“You too, Lawrence.” Johnny goes to open the door, and Daniel thinks — what the hell. He’s never going to get anywhere if he doesn’t take any risks. “Hey, do you want to grab a beer sometime?”

Johnny looks back at him, one hand on the doorknob. “Really? A beer?”

“Come on, man, we have lots to reminisce over.”

“Yeah, we really do, don’t we?” Johnny shrugs one shoulder, and says, “Call me Sunday night, if I’m off work, we can grab something.”

Daniel can’t stop himself from grinning like an idiot. “What’s your number?”

“Do you have some paper?”

“Just a pen.” Daniel holds it out to him, and his own arm. Johnny raises a brow, but goes along with it, scrawling down his number on the inside of Daniel’s wrist.

Daniel’s wrist is warm when he pulls it back and looks at the numbers in black ink, smearing a little where Johnny’s hand brushed over them.

“See you Sunday,” Johnny says, and he’s gone before Daniel can say another word.

Sunday. He can’t wait.


End file.
